


Remember This

by Seeking7



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Korok Forest is a playground of memories for the old man, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mild Angst, Time cherishes the lads like theyre his own kids, Time misses Saria, Time misses a lot of things from when he was a kid, nothing too bad really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: Time is an enigma. A gentle, wise, understanding enigma, but an enigma nonetheless.Yet a night alone in Wild’s Korok Forest is all that’s needed for the broken-hearted child within to reawaken, and for the memories he carries to resurface.++++Another story I had the honor of writing for the Linked Universe Zine, and an exploration of how Time feels toward the cruel flow of his namesake.
Relationships: Time & Saria (Linked Universe)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 69





	Remember This

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, there! I really hope you’ll enjoy this small fic I got the honor of writing for the Linked Universe Zine. I wrote this back in June, and even though there are some passages in here that make me cringe from their verbosity, I tried to preserve the original product. It’s something like a relic, haha! Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy!

Out of all the Links, the Hero of Time was the quietest. 

If one had only known Time for a few minutes, they might assume his reticence was the byproduct of trauma. It would make sense, after all. The world-weary smile of a veteran soldier had taken permanent residence on his face, and the armor he wore was spiderwebbed with nicks and scratches. Taking all of these details into account, it was reasonable to assume the white scar that traveled from brow to cheekbone had a metaphorical counterpart, one that had schooled Time into horrified silence for the rest of his life. But the skin of Time’s forehead was smooth and uncreased, his eyes were clear and his intentions more so; there was no hint of the perturbed thoughts one might expect to be running through his head. Attributing the old man’s quietness to shyness or even stupidity were thoughts doomed to an early death as well. Time dominated both the battlefield and the nightly campfire debates with the quick words and an even quicker wit, and his eyes were always hooded with reserved intelligence.

Despite its curiosity, Time’s habitual silence wasn’t a problem or even an oddity. All the Links were quiet and soft-spoken in their own right, and only after months of traveling together did any meaningful conversation begin to bloom between them. Although Time’s special breed of silence was something alien, no one was willing to pry deeper and find answers. A slight distance grew between Time and the others because of this, not born of animosity but out of respect. And it was this very distance that allowed Time to sneak away from the other Links during their stay in Wild's Korok Forest.

Time wore his reticence as a cloak as he slipped out of the makeshift inn in the Deku Tree’s navel, feet pattering on dead leaves as he slinked into the forest beyond. The koroks chittered curiously as he passed by, wondering aloud why he wasn’t asleep with the other Mr. Heroes, but his only response was a sad smile and a shifting gaze. 

The night sky sparkled with stars and streams of moonlight spilled through gaps in the foliage. Streams gurgled and spat incredulously as Time walked through them. Twigs snapped underfoot and owls cooed overhead, but the only thing Time heard was the slow thumping of his heart and, if he held his breath, the faintest notes of a familiar song. 

He started walking faster, unsure of exactly where he was going. Mist congealed around him, moistening each of his breaths and cooling his lungs. The leather of his boots darkened with mud and water, and the collar of his tunic chafed against his neck. His feet moved mindlessly along a path he only half remembered. 

The forest stunk of hope and small, broken, childhood memories. 

Time hoisted himself over a fallen log and slowly picked his way through a tangle of blackened roots, eyes trained on the clearing ahead. The fog in front of him unclasped its white fingers with a hiss as he waved a hand through it. Old things and places had a peculiar habit of hiding themselves in fog and mystery - Time could relate to that - and this particular spot was no exception. He blinked quickly to get the last remnants of mist out of his eyes before he focused on the vaguely familiar scene in front of him. The grass underneath his feet was dark and matted, the thick stone walls around him had turned from grey to black, and the surrounding trees were pock-marked with cuts and mushrooms. His gaze drifted to the middle of the clearing, and he felt the skin around his eyes stretch in astonishment.

The tree stump. 

Saria’s tree stump.

It was still there. 

His footsteps were silent, muffled completely by the sheet of grass underneath his feet, and he had to resist the urge to bow before the stump in greeting. Memories so old he didn’t know he still had them wafted in front of him: a game of tag; a skinned knee attended to by careful, loving hands; a pink-faced bully with words of ice and a heart of gold. His stony facade cracked as he placed a hand on the yellowed surface of the trunk, and his face softened wistfully. Ripples of brown spiraled out from the center and a small string of ants marched across the rim, but even thousands upon thousands of years couldn’t kill the stump or the memories it carried. 

Time took a seat next to the stump and folded his legs beneath him. The foliage rustled overhead and something darted in and out of the underbrush. Stifling a sigh, Time looked up at a painfully familiar sky, still dappled with constellations he once called by name and talked to as if they were real friends. In a way, in a time long past, they really had been his only friends. 

Aside from one, very real person. 

The clearing suddenly felt much bigger. 

_ “This is the Sacred Forest Meadow. It’s my secret place! I feel that this place will be very important for both of us someday.”  _

Time’s fingers reached for the ocarina on his belt. 

_ “Please don’t forget this song! Do you promise? When you want to hear my voice, play Saria’s Song.”  _

And so he did. 

The notes started out crisp, fed by a steady stream of thin, pinched air. Time popped his fingers on and off the porcelain holes in the ocarina, eyebrows scrunched together and focus wavering. As the song grew thicker and thicker, Time's vision grew blurry and his lips flickered downward. The air in the ocarina trembled and the notes grew unsteady and shrill. With a huff he pulled the instrument away from his mouth. The song melted away in the nighttime breeze, and Time’s heart ached within him. 

He let the ocarina drop to his lap and brushed away the wetness on his cheeks. 

“I’ve missed you, Saria,” he began. “It’s been so long, but I’m happy to be here again.” 

The forest was silent. 

“I can’t believe this place is still here, that it’s still the same. The rest of the forest has changed so much in comparison. It took me a few moments to realize where we were when Wild first brought us here.”

The wind sighed overhead and weaved hopelessly through the foliage. Time let out a breath that had started to grow stale in his lungs. 

“I haven’t told you about Wild, have I? He’s the hero of this era. Very bright young man, endlessly intelligent and friendly. The others would have loved him.” The corners of Time’s mouth crinkled into a wistful smile. “Just imagining the sort of trouble those boys could get into already gives me a headache.” 

Time’s fingers traced the holes in his ocarina, and a stray breeze cooled the sweat at the back of his neck. 

“You know, Saria, even though I’ve been doing this for months, the strangeness of the mission I’m on never ceases to amaze me. Traveling with my different incarnations from across time and space...it’s such a surreal experience. If I ever told Mido I would do something like this one day, he probably would have called me a liar and served me a generous portion of mud pie. Ah, Mido...he was a character, wasn’t he? I’m positive that he and the Hero of Legend would have been fantastic friends. They would spread their reign of tyranny to the far edges of the Kokiri Forest, spouting sarcastic and crass remarks the entire time. Warriors would probably stage a coup to become leader of the Kokiri while their backs were turned -- a bloodless one, of course, his charisma is weapon enough -- and Wind would be right there behind him, breaking pots and swearing artlessly. The Hero of the Wind...you would have liked him. He’s a force to be reckoned with.” 

Squirrels giggled in the distance. Time smiled brightly, the usual exhaustion in his eyes replaced with a childish spark. He uncrossed his legs and kneaded his thigh in response to the pins and needles he felt coming on, gaze drifting back up to the sky as he did.

“Four’s honesty and Sky’s gentleness never cease to amaze me. Along with the Hero of Hyrule, I think those three would have been your favorites. Despite all the trails they’ve been through, they’ve never hardened their hearts to the world or the deities that rule it.” Time’s eyebrows cinched together. “Sometimes, I wish the same was true for me.” 

The mist ruffled his hair. 

“And Twilight...he’s something special. So, so special. He’s serious and smart, always three steps ahead both mentally and physically. His skill on horseback impresses me, but his compassion for animals and children even moreso. I’m very proud of him.” 

Smoky clouds parted overhead, and moonlight poured into the clearing. Blades of grass were doused in a coat of silver and stuck up against the humid breeze. A frog croaked in the distance. 

“If you’re wondering about me, I promise I haven’t really been up to anything interesting in my own era. Really. Just the normal stuff. Met this wonderful girl. Got married. Can't wait to have kids. Hyrule showed me a very odd sword trick a few days ago. Wind accidentally called me ‘dad’ yesterday. Nice things. Nice times.” 

Time found himself leaning on the tree stump. His eyes were focused on the ocarina again, and a now-familiar blurriness began to creep into his vision. The forest was silent. There was no familiar voice in his ear, no music, no Saria. The futility of his little escapade hit him in full force, and he felt something wet slide down his face. The faster he blinked, the more tears fell, and he had to bite his lips to stop any sounds from escaping his mouth. A heartache he hadn’t felt since he was ten tore at his chest. 

“What am I even doing? You’re dead. You’ve been dead for thousands and thousands of years.” His voice was tight and unrecognizable, strained with grief and bitter with disgust. He lifted himself to his feet and rubbed away his tears with the back of his glove, gripping his ocarina with a viciousness that threatened to crack the blue porcelain. Without another look back, Time walked out of the clearing, doing everything in his power to avoid breaking out in a run. 

His heart stopped when he heard a familiar voice behind him. 

_ “Link...we’ll be friends forever...won’t we?”  _

He turned around so quickly his neck burned, eyes wide and wet and searching for someone he knew wasn’t there. 

Perhaps it was just the light, but Time could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a green-haired girl sitting on the tree stump, smiling as if nothing had changed and nothing ever would. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! Ocarina of Time was a magical experience for me, and it was so much fun to capture some of that joy in this story. If you have any questions or thoughts on the story, please don’t be afraid to leave a comment! I try and respond to each one I get. Have a wonderful day, and happy December and January-adjacent holidays to you all!


End file.
